Chapter III
Research Methodology
This chapter presents the design and methodology that
were used in this study. It also includes the research
design and the Vee-model which maps the types of each stage
of the development of the study that comprised the
requirement specification, system design, detailed design,
construct, system unit test, system integration test and
acceptance test. This chapter serves as a guide for conduct
of the study.
3.1 Research Design
The research design used was system design and
development. It was appropriate to use for this study
because the procedures were logical through the use of
scientific, and computational approaches (Vaughan, 2011).
The researchers were able to generate prototypes, conduct
observation, evaluate the results, and draw conclusions and
recommendations (Coley, 2011).
This research allowed the researchers to measure and
to analyze the gathered data. The researchers were more
objective about the findings of the study.
25
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
The Vee-model was the most applicable research design
for the study as the study’s nature was systems
development. The study was all about developing a system
that allows water to flow through the pipe to the roots of
the tomato plants with the use of a water time system. In
systems development, there is a need to identify the system
requirements, identification and allocation of functions to
of each system and designing of components.
Development Testing
Requirement Acceptance Test
Specification
System Design System
Integration Test
Construction System Unit
Test
Figure 1. Research Design of Vertical Aeroponic System
Processes needed to be validated; therefore,
corresponding processes were also needed for each of the
mentioned processes. These were verification of components,
verification of subsystems and the verification of the
whole system. The flow is in a form of letter ‘V’ as shown
in figure 1.
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
26
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
3.2 Requirement Specifications
Define System Requirements. The requirement
specification is comprised of engineering requirements
where the researchers came up with the performance and
description of aeroponic. The requirement specifications
for this study were identified based on the performance and
modularity of the vertical aeroponic system.
Specifically, the system was able to:
a. Accommodate the plant in the grow bed and roots are
directly exposed in air;
b. Facilitate the growth of plant from the first day of
placement of seedlings until the plant will start to
bear fruits;
c. Provide water to the roots of the plant in a form of
mist to facilitate fast nutrient absorption; and,
d. Operate in full sun light level for a minimum of 5-6
hours.
Test Parameters. Enabled the aeroponic to its job,
first, a water pump was placed in the container, which was
then filled with water. Second, the plant was placed into
the net pots with the use of the plant container. The
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
27
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
Container and net pots were connected, using a PVC pipe to
allow water to be pumped from the container.
Watering Time System. The watering time for the said
parameters was determined by setting the 15 minutes
interval every day.
Growth period. The period of growth of the tomato
plant parameter is determined every seven-day time span
were used by the researchers to monitor the effectiveness
and efficiency of the aeroponic system.
3.3 System Design
The system design was based on the modularity and
functionality of the system. The system was run through a
water tank with a capacity of 30 liters, water pump (130
watts, 3,500 L/hour) , PVC pipe (5 feet, size ¾”),
timer(input power supply 120 vac, 60Hz, battery backup
output 1875 watts, 1/3 hp motor load, and manual override),
Net pots (Height of 2.5 inches, Diameter of 2 inches),
Cross atomization nozzle (Connection: 4mm hole on PE pipe,
Flowrate: 220-280Kpa, Spray Di: 1.2 – 1.8 meters, Weight:
73g)and tomato plant. Some of the materials can be seen in
local markets and some of the materials can only be bought
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
28
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
through online. The tomato plant was used, based on the
required specification.
3.4 Detailed Design
The vertical aeroponic system has single flow system
with a composing component of:
Water Tank. With a height of 1.2 feet, diameter of 14
inches and holds a capacity of 30 liters of water. The 30
liters were enough. The system was required to have a
minimum of 20 liters, based on the required specification
of the water pump. The tank was comprised of its
components, the water, timer and water pump.
Grow Bed. Basically, the grow bed was made of PVC pipe
with a diameter of 6 inches and a height of 5.5 feet. The
grow bed was comprised of a 3/4th size of water pipe which
was connected to a water pump from the water tank, allowing
water to be pumped and sprayed directly towards to roots of
the plant.
Soluble Nutrients. The system used soluble nutrients
to keep the tomato plant alive. With the help of flora
bloom fertilizer, the tomato gained nutrients, as needed.
The system design was described into a single unit
system. (See Appendix G for the layout of the system.)
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
29
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
Vertical Aeroponic System
Water Tank
Soluble Nutrients Timer Water Pump
Water Pipe
Nozzle
Net Pots Tomato Plant
Soluble Nutrients
Figure 2. Functional Flow Block Diagram of Vertical
Aeroponic System
3.5 System Construction
Detailed Design of Components. In the detailed design
of construction phase, certain factors were considered to
develop the vertical aeroponic system and its supporting
documents.
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
30
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
Figure 3. Operational Flow of Vertical Aeroponic System
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
31
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
The first step was to prepare all the materials
needed. Before filling the water tank with water, the
researchers determined the type of container which will
serve as the water tank for the system. Also, they
determined the water volume. The researchers chose to use a
plastic container which can accommodate 30 liters of water.
The researchers poured a 10 liter galloon three times into
the water tank to verify the capacity of the water tank.
The researchers then started to setup the water pump
and timer. When the water pump and timer did not function,
the researchers setup the timer water pump and timer until
they functioned.
After the setup of water pump and timer, the
researchers assembled the parts of the vertical body which
served as the grow bed of the system then the tomato plants
were placed. The researchers performed weekly observation
thereafter.
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
32
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
3.6 System Test
Unit Test
Modules Function Checklist Yes NO Remark
Serves as the
base of the Can hold a volume
Water Tank system; it of 30 Liters of
holds the water
water
A device
which pumps Can pump water
water from from water tank
Water Pump
the container with a 926
to the Gallons per hour
vertical body
Serves as the
grow bed for Can hold a number
Grow bed
the tomato of 14 net pots
plant
A device use Allows water to
as a passage pass through from
Water Pipes
of water from water tank to the
water tank nozzles
Device is
Cross Can spray mist
used to spray
Atomization water to the
mist to the
Nozzle roots
roots
Device helps
Automatically
the water
turns on and off
Timer pump to pump
for every 15
water every
minute cycle
15 minutes
A tool use
for holding Can hold tomato
Net Pots
the Tomato plants
plants
Table 1. Module Test Sheet
Every component that passed the construction stage
advanced to the system test stage to ensure that the
requirements were met. System test was a testing process
that ensured all components were integrated successfully to
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
33
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
provide expected result. The purpose of system test became
the basis to verify the functionality, performance and
reliability of every component by testing every possible
element within the system.
3.7 System Integration Test
Integration Test
Component Module Check
Function Yes No Remarks
Interface Involved List
Can hold
a volume
Holds
Water Tank of 30
Water
Liters of
water
Can pump
water
Pumps
Water Pump from
Water
water
tank
Can hold
a number Holds the
Grow Bed
of 14 net net pots
Vertical
pots
Aeroponic
Can allow
System
water to Water
Water Pipes
pass Flow
through
Can spray
Cross
mist Sprays
Atomization
water to Mist
Nozzle
the roots
Fully Correct
Timer Operation Time
al Interval
Can hold
Not
Net Pots tomato
Flimsy
plants
Table 2. Summary of System Integration Testing
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
34
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
All components passed through the system unit test
stage, system integration test was done next. In this test,
each element were combined and tested as a group. The
purpose of this test was to verify the functionality,
performance and reliability requirements allocated in the
major components. These components were executed through
its function test, success and error causes being simulated
through appropriate parameters.
After each component had been checked of their
function, another test was done. The verification of
subsystems or integration test was done to verify that the
integration of the components into a subsystem can do the
functions assigned. A checklist above was provided to aid
the verification process.
3.8 Acceptance Test
The acceptance test was done; it tested the final
output of the system as a whole to further ensure that the
requirements were achieved. This was tested by the expected
user of the system.
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
35
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
Acceptance Test
Engineering
Test Name Yes No Remarks
Requirements
Water tank can
Acceptance Test
contain a 30-Liter
number 1
water volume
Water can be pumped
and passed through
Acceptance Test
the water pipe and
number 2
be sprayed to the
roots of the plant
Timer operates
Acceptance Test properly
number 3 (15 minutes cycle
time)
Water goes back to
Acceptance Test the tank after
number 4 misting the root of
the plants
Table 3. Summary of Acceptance Testing
To check whether the vertical aeroponic system
performs its intended job, the researchers had developed a
checklist for testing its performance. The following
checklists were made, and they are shown below.
Period Traditional Vertical Aeroponic System
Average Week 1
Height of Week 2
Tomato Week 3
Plant Week 4
(unit)
Table 4. Height of Tomato Plant
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
36
VERTICAL AEROPONICS SYSTEM CHAPTER III
Period Traditional Vertical Aeroponic System
Average Week 1
Number of Week 2
Leaves Week 3
(Pieces) Week 4
Table 5. Number of Leaves of Tomato Plant
Period Traditional Vertical Aeroponic System
Average Week 1
Number of Week 2
Flowers Week 3
(Pieces) Week 4
Table 6. Number of Flowers of Tomato Plant
Period Traditional Vertical Aeroponic System
Average Week 1
Number of Week 2
Fruits Week 3
(Pieces) Week 4
Table 7. Number of Fruits of Tomato Plant
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTRE DAME OF DADIANGAS UNIVERISTY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
